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Tuesday 26 February 2008

Homesick - Eshkol Nevo

We were very lucky, as part of Jewish Book week to have a meet the author event with this author. a fascinating, honest and erudite speaker.

This is an interesting book, not the least for giving us an honest window into modern Israeli life. The book deals with the homesickness of it's main characters and the effects this has on their lives. It is a novel that is written from the viewpoint of several different characters, polyphonic, and each character comes off the page as a complete and individual voice. It is a lyrical book that keeps you engaged to the final page.

It will make an excellent reading group book.

I was especially interested in his portrayal of the Palastinian character and his interaction with the Jewish characters. This for non Israeli readers gave the book balance.

When questioned Eshkol revealed that he interviewed many Palestinians to find the voice of Saddiq. He also revealed that it was this character that has made this book so controversial in Israel, and a bestseller. It deserves to be one here too.

2 comments:

Swansea Libraries said...

I enjoyed reading your blog. How have you promoted it to your users?

Paige (a fellow public library blogger)

Vicki Goldie, author said...

However and whenever I can. I really tend to promote it specifically to other library staff and all the reading groups that we facilitate and support. I also let publishers and authors know when I can and the pres. I also promote it through Facebook

Hope that helps!